01/15/2024
By Lynne Schaufenbil

Please join the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology for a virtual seminar "Investigating the ices in comets by in situ mass spectrometry" by Martin Rubin on Thursday, Feb. 1 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Abstract:
Comets are among the most pristine objects in our solar system. Understanding their composition reveals crucial information about the material from which our solar system formed. In the past, already several comets have been visited by spacecraft. For instance, in 1986 ESA's Giotto mission flew by comet 1P/Halley and Rosetta followed 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over two years between 2014-2016. Mass spectrometers are key payloads on such missions as they are designed to measure the volatile molecules originating from the sublimation of the ices in the comet's nucleus. This presentation will cover ESA's past and future comet missions and discuss some of the major findings obtained by in situ neutral gas mass spectrometry.

Please contact Lynne_Schaufenbil@uml.edu for the Zoom link if you are interested in attending.